Autolacing footwear system with preset user profiles

ABSTRACT

A system includes an article of footwear and a remote system. The article of footwear includes an adaptive configured to be adjusted to one of a plurality of configurations based on a command received from a processor circuit. The remote system includes an electronic data storage, configured to store a user profile including the plurality of configurations, and a processor configured to prompt, on a user interface, a user to put on the article of footwear, receive, via a wireless transceiver, a signal from the article of footwear indicating that the article of footwear has been placed on the foot of a wearer, access, one of the plurality of configurations based on a user selection, and transmit the one of the plurality of configurations as selected. The processor circuit causes the adaptive component to be configured according to the one of the plurality of configurations.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/171,265, filed Oct. 25, 2018, which application claims the benefit ofpriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/576,691, titledMOTORIZED TENSIONING SYSTEM SITH SENSORS, filed Oct. 25, 2017, both ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to an article offootwear having an autolacing system or other adaptive component and arelated system with preset user profiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustration of components of a motorizedlacing system for an article of footwear, in an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates generally a block diagram of components of amotorized lacing system, in an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram including an article of footwear having themotorized lacing system and a remote electronic system that allows for auser profile to be created and manipulated, in an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a user profile, in anexample embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate the user interface displaying an app to pair themobile device with the articles of footwear, in an example embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a calibration process that may be implementedfor a given pair of footwear, in an example embodiment.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate conducting the calibration process with theaddition of one or more orthotic inserts in the articles of footwear, inan example embodiment.

FIGS. 8A-8E illustrate selecting and adjusting configurations for thearticles of footwear, in an example embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for calibrating articles of footwear and setting apredetermined configuration, in an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example methods and systems are directed to an article of footwearhaving an autolacing system or other adaptive component and a relatedsystem with preset user profiles. Examples merely typify possiblevariations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, components and functionsare optional and may be combined or subdivided, and operations may varyin sequence or be combined or subdivided. In the following description,for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will beevident to one skilled in the art, however, that the present subjectmatter may be practiced without these specific details.

Articles of footwear, such as shoes, may include a variety ofcomponents, both conventional and unconventional. Conventionalcomponents may include an upper, a sole, and laces or other securingmechanisms to enclose and secure the foot of a wearer within the articleof footwear. Unconventionally, an adaptive component or components, suchas a motorized lacing system may engage with the lace to tighten and/orloosen the lace. Additional or alternative adaptive components mayelectrically or mechanically change or adapt various additional aspectsof the article of footwear to the wearer or to the circumstances inwhich the wearer is using the article of footwear. For instance, theadaptive component may change a cushioning system to be firm or soft oradapt the cushioning system to the compensate for a turn or “cut” duringa game. The motorized lacing system or adaptive component in general maybe controlled by a controller and other electronics, including operatingand driving the motor, sensing information about the nature of thearticle of footwear, providing lighted displays and/or other sensorystimuli, and so forth.

How adaptive components in footwear are utilized may be dependent on thecharacteristics and preferences of the wearer and the circumstances inwhich the wearer is wearing the footwear. A wearer may have a relativelywide or narrow foot for their size. A wearer may, over the course oftheir use of the footwear, wear the footwear casually, for running, orfor basketball, and may benefit from different configurations of theadaptive component in different activities. A wearer may simply preferthe footwear to be relatively tight or relatively loose in comparison toother wearers.

Moreover, a user may purchase multiple different pairs of footwearhaving adaptive components. For instance, a user may have multiple pairsof autolacing footwear simultaneously or consecutively. The user'spreferences for auotlacing footwear may be consistent, but the nature ofthe different pairs of footwear may be different. For instance, one pairof footwear may be geared toward running, and thus may provide structureand cushioning optimized for moving straight forward and gentle turns,while a second pair may be geared toward basketball, and thus mayprovide structure and cushioning optimized for short sprints and suddenstops and turns. As such, the precise settings for the adaptivecomponent on one article of footwear may not be directly applicable tothe other article of footwear.

A system has been developed that provides a user of an article offootwear with an adaptive component with a user profile thatautomatically baselines a maximum configuration of a certain feature,such as lace tension in autolacing applications, and establishingmultiple configurations for the user. The maximum feature and themultiple configurations are transferrable and portable across multiplearticles of footwear that include the same type of adaptive component,but which are applied to the detailed configuration of the specificarticle of footwear. Thus, for instance, configurations for one articleof footwear may be translated to provide a similar feel in a differentarticle of footwear. A user interface may provide for a user to adjustand set the configurations and the user profile more generally. Wirelesscommunications may permit remote users to adjust a configurationremotely while the footwear is being worn without requiring input fromthe wearer.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustration of components of a motorizedlacing system for an article of footwear, in an example embodiment.While the system is described with respect to the article of footwear,it is to be recognized and understood that the principles described withrespect to the article of footwear apply equally well to any of avariety of wearable articles. The motorized lacing system 100illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a lacing engine 102 having a housingstructure 103, a lid 104, an actuator 106, a mid-sole plate 108, amid-sole 110, and an outsole 112. FIG. 1 illustrates the basic assemblysequence of components of an automated lacing footwear platform. Themotorized lacing system 100 starts with the mid-sole plate 108 beingsecured within the mid-sole. Next, the actuator 106 is inserted into anopening in the lateral side of the mid-sole plate opposite to interfacebuttons that can be embedded in the outsole 112. Next, the lacing engine102 is dropped into the mid-sole plate 108. In an example, the lacingsystem 100 is inserted under a continuous loop of lacing cable and thelacing cable is aligned with a spool in the lacing engine 102 (discussedbelow). Finally, the lid 104 is inserted into grooves in the mid-soleplate 108, secured into a closed position, and latched into a recess inthe mid-sole plate 108. The lid 104 can capture the lacing engine 102and can assist in maintaining alignment of a lacing cable duringoperation.

FIG. 2 illustrates generally a block diagram of components of amotorized lacing system 100, in an example embodiment. The system 100includes some, but not necessarily all, components of a motorized lacingsystem such as including interface buttons 200, a foot presence sensor202, and the lacing engine housing 102 enclosing a printed circuit boardassembly (PCA) with a processor circuit 204, a battery 206, a receivecoil 208 which may operate as part of a wireless transceiver, includinga wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver, an optical encoder 210,a motion sensor 212, and a drive mechanism 214. The optical encoder 210may include an optical sensor and an encoder having distinct portionsindependently detectable by the optical sensor. The drive mechanism 214can include, among other things, a motor 216, a transmission 218, and alace spool 220. The motion sensor 212 can include, among other things, asingle or multiple axis accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyrometer, orother sensor or device configured to sense motion of the housingstructure 102, or of one or more components within or coupled to thehousing structure 102. In an example, the motorized lacing system 100includes a magnetometer 222 coupled to the processor circuit 204.

In the example of FIG. 2, the processor circuit 204 is in data or powersignal communication with one or more of the interface buttons 200, footpresence sensor 202, battery 206, receive coil 208, and drive mechanism214. The transmission 218 couples the motor 216 to a spool to form thedrive mechanism 214. In the example of FIG. 2, the buttons 200, footpresence sensor 202, and environment sensor 224 are shown outside of, orpartially outside of, the lacing engine 102.

In an example, the receive coil 208 is positioned on or inside of thehousing 103 of the lacing engine 102. In various examples, the receivecoil 208 is positioned on an outside major surface, e.g., a top orbottom surface, of the housing 103 and, in a specific example, thebottom surface. In various examples, the receive coil 208 is a qicharging coil, though any suitable coil, such as an A4WP charging coil,may be utilized instead.

In an example, the processor circuit 204 controls one or more aspects ofthe drive mechanism 214. For example, the processor circuit 204 can beconfigured to receive information from the buttons 200 and/or from thefoot presence sensor 202 and/or from the motion sensor 212 and, inresponse, control the drive mechanism 214, such as to tighten or loosenfootwear about a foot. In an example, the processor circuit 204 isadditionally or alternatively configured to issue commands to obtain orrecord sensor information, from the foot presence sensor 202 or othersensor, among other functions. In an example, the processor circuit 204conditions operation of the drive mechanism 214 on (1) detecting a footpresence using the foot presence sensor 202 and (2) detecting aspecified gesture using the motion sensor 212.

Information from the environment sensor 224 can be used to update oradjust a baseline or reference value for the foot presence sensor 202.As further explained below, capacitance values measured by a capacitivefoot presence sensor can vary over time, such as in response to ambientconditions near the sensor. Using information from the environmentsensor 224, the processor circuit 204 and/or the foot presence sensor202 can update or adjust a measured or sensed capacitance value.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram 300 including an article of footwear 302(understood, for the purposes of this disclosure, to be either onearticle of a matched pair of articles of footwear) having the motorizedlacing system 100 and a remote electronic system 304 that allows for auser profile 306 to be created and manipulated, in an exampleembodiment. While the system 300 is described with respect to themotorized lacing system 100, it is to be recognized and understood thatthe system 300 may be implemented with an article of footwear includingany adaptive component, such as the adaptive support member withrheological fluid disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,198,478, “Support MembersWith Variable Viscosity Fluid for Footwear”, filed Mar. 5, 2013, whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The system 300includes multiple electronic components which may be incorporated into asingle electronic device, such as a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone,tablet computer, smart watch, etc.), or may be a distributed system,including remote components accessed via a network and/or a smart watchoperating in conjunction with a smartphone.

In the illustrated example, the remote electronic system 304 includes amobile device 308, such as a smartphone, which includes a user interface310, a processor 312, an electronic data storage 314 which may operateas a computer readable medium, and a wireless transceiver 316 whichincludes a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver. The userinterface 310 may include a visual display and a data entry device, suchas a touchscreen, keyboard, audio recorder and translator, and the like,and an audio output, such as a speaker, headphone, or the like. Thewireless transceiver 316 is configured to communicate with the wirelesstransceiver of the motorized lacing system 100 according to any of avariety of suitable wireless modalities, including Bluetooth, WiFI, andthe like.

The user profile 306 is stored to the electronic data storage 314. Theuser profile 306 may be accessed by the processor 312 and informationrelated to the user profile 306 displayed or otherwise presented to auser via the user interface 310. The user may adjustor apply the userprofile 306 to adjust or otherwise control the motorized lacing system100. As will be illustrated herein, the user may start an application or“app” related to controlling the motorized lacing system 100, select orlogin to their user profile or another user profile to which they haveaccess, select between and among predetermined configurations, adjustthe predetermined configurations, and manually adjust the motorizedlacing system 100 without respect to one of the predeterminedconfigurations.

The remote electronic system 304 may further include or may accessadditional systems via a network, e.g., via the wireless transceiver 316communicating with WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, or any suitable wirelesstechnology. The additional systems may include a remote electronic datastorage 318 which may include a database 320 which may store the userprofile 306 along with other user profiles of other users. Upon the userlogging in to the app via the user interface 310, the processor 312 mayoptionally download the user profile 306 from the remote electronic datastorage 318 if the user profile 306 is not already stored on the localelectronic data storage 314. Or, if the user profile 306 is alreadystored on the local electronic data storage 314, the processor 312 maycheck the user profile 306 as stored on the remote electronic datastorage 318 to see if the user profile 306 has been updated on adifferent device and, if so, download the user profile 306 as updatedand store the updated user profile 306 on the local electronic datastorage 314. If the user updates the user profile 306 via the app theprocessor 312 may cause the user profile 306 as updated to betransmitted to the remote electronic data storage 318.

The system 300 may provide for control of the motorized lacing system100 from authorized secondary devices 320. For instance, an authorizedsecondary device 320 may be a mobile device or computer controlled by acoach or manager of the user who is wearing the article of footwear 302during a game, practice, or other team activity. The coach may utilizedthe authorized secondary device 320 to wirelessly reconfigure themotorized lacing system 100 without input from the user, e.g., during agame or practice if the wearer is not able to adjust the motorizedlacing system 100 on their own. For instance, if a basketball player hasa first configuration for the motorized lacing system 100 but over thecourse of playing in a basketball game the coach concludes the motorizedlacing system 100 is not optimized for the actual playing conditions,the coach may utilize the app to access the user profile 306 on theauthorized secondary device 320 and adjust the parameters of themotorized lacing system 100, e.g., by selecting a different presetconfiguration or manually adjusting tightness on the lace. The app maybe utilized to adjust any of a variety of parameters of the articles offootwear 302, e.g., change lighting that is visible from the buttons200, etc., for any and all articles of footwear that accessible via theauthorized secondary device 320.

It is to be recognized that the remote control of the motorized lacingsystem 100 by the authorized secondary device 320 may be local to thearticle of footwear 302, e.g., by someone actually at the activity inwhich the user is wearing the article of footwear 302, or remotely via anetwork connection. Thus, an authorized user would not necessarily needto be present in order to adjust the motorized lacing system 100.Moreover, the purpose of the access to the motorized lacing system 100or to an adaptive component more generally may be for a secondaryreason. Thus, for instance, a coach may manipulate an adaptive componentin order to send messages or feedback to the wearer.

Further, while the authorized user is described as a person, theauthorized user may be an electronic system that operates automaticallyto adjust and adapt the performance of the motorized lacing system 100or adaptive component more generally and/or send messages or otherwisecommunicate information to the wearer. Thus, for instance, if theelectronic system determines that the settings on the motorized lacingsystem 100 are not optimal to the circumstances for whatever reason thenthe electronic system may adjust the parameters of the motorized lacingsystem 100. Further, if the electronic system determines that the wearerhas moved out of a designated area on a playing field the electronicsystem may send a signal, e.g., by vibrating the motorized lacing system100 in one of the articles of footwear 302, to signal to the wearer toadjust their position. See, e.g., PCT application publication number WO2017/095956, “Shin Guard With Remote Haptic Feedback”, filed Nov. 30,2016, claiming the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/261,149, both of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

The system 300 may include footwear profiles 322 describing propertiesof different types of articles of footwear that include the motorizedlacing system 100 or different implementations of motorized lacingsystems. Thus, for instance, the article of footwear 302 may have afootwear profile 322′ that describes how the motorized lacing system 100sets tension on the lace, e.g., positions of the lace spool 220, andphysical properties of the article of footwear 302 generally. Forinstance, the footwear profile 322′ may include dimensions of thearticle of footwear 302, properties of the materials of the article offootwear 302, e.g., the elasticity of components of the upper, and thelayout of the lacing system of the article of footwear 302 and thelocations of where tension is transferred from the lace onto the upper.

The system 300 may further incorporate a second article of footwear 324,understood for these purposes to be one or a matched pair of articles offootwear different than the article of footwear 302. The second articleof footwear 324 may be the same type of article of footwear as thearticle of footwear 302, and thus have the same footwear profile 322 asthe article of footwear 302, or may be a different type of article offootwear and have a different footwear profile 322″. The mobile device308 may communicate with both of the first and second articles offootwear 302, 324 and the user may selectively control the motorizedlacing system of each of the first and second articles of footwear 302,324. It is to be understood that the same principle may be applied to anauthorized secondary user described above, and may be applied to threeor more different articles of footwear, e.g., all members of a team.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a user profile 306, in anexample embodiment. The user profile 306 includes records 400 formultiple articles of footwear 302, with one record 400 corresponding toone pair of footwear 302. In various examples, one record 400corresponds to any pair of footwear 302 of the same type or style suchthat the settings for one article of footwear 302 of the type or stylemay be expected to translate to or otherwise be immediately useful foranother article of footwear 302 of the same style without modification.As such, a single record 400 may be applicable to may individual pairsof footwear 302, provided the pairs of footwear 302 are all sufficientlythe same that the parameters and configurations specified in the record400 may be applied to any footwear 302 of the same type.

Alternatively, each record 400 corresponds to a single pair of footwear302. In such an example, the pair of footwear 302 may be identified witha unique identifier, e.g., via a nearfield communication (NFC) tag or avisible serial number or barcode, that may be associated with the record400 and accessed to determine the identity of the article of footwear302. Alternatively, the user may assign an identifier for the article offootwear 302 manually and then manually select the record 400 that is tobe accessed. As such, the user profile 306 may be or function as adatabase that that stores multiple records 400.

Each record 400 includes an identifier field 402 to identify either thetype for the article of footwear 302 or a unique identifier of thefootwear 302 itself, as disclosed above. Each record 400 furtherincludes a configuration label 402, and each configuration label 402includes a left setting field 404, a right setting field 406. Eachrecord further includes a calibration field 408, which will be describedin detail herein. Each record 400 may be expanded to include multipleconfiguration labels 402 and associated setting fields 404, 406. Invarious examples, a given configuration label 402 may include more thanjust two setting fields 404, 406 dependent on the number of adaptivecomponents of the article of footwear 302. Thus, for instance, if thearticle of footwear 302 included both the motorized lacing system 100and a cushioning adapter then each configuration label 402 may link tothe setting fields 404, 406 for the motorized lacing system 100, as wellas left and right setting fields for the cushioning adapter.

Each configuration label 402 serves to identify a configuration thatwould be identifiable to and meaningful for the user. Thus, forinstance, a configuration label may be “GAME”, “WARMUP”, “STREET”,“RUN”, “JOG”, and so forth. Each configuration label 402 may be pre-setand/or manually selected, entered, or modified by the user. The user mayoptionally add or remove configuration labels 402 and their associatesetting fields 404, 406.

Each setting field 404, 406 includes information that, when transmittedto the processor circuit 204 of an associated left or right article offootwear 302, allows the processor circuit 204 to configure themotorized lacing system 100 to produce an expected tension on the lace.The information that may allow the processor circuit 204 to do so maydepend on the specific implementation of the motorized lacing system100. For instance, if a motorized lacing system 100 includes a straingauge on the lace, then the information in the setting fields 404, 406may correspond to a desired strain be sensed by the strain gauge. In thecase of the motorized lacing system 100, the encoder 210 establishes aspecific rotational position of the spool 220 and, as a consequence, anamount of lace which is unwound from the spool 220. The amount of laceunwound from the spool 220 directly corresponds to the amount of tensionon the lace. Thus, in such an example, the information in the settingfields 404, 406 corresponds to an encoder setting that corresponds tothe desired amount of lace wound on the spool 220.

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate the user interface 310 displaying an app to pairthe mobile device 308 with the articles of footwear 302, in an exampleembodiment. While a login screen is not depicted, the app may start bypresenting the user with a login screen for an identifier for the userprofile 306 and a password. The processor 312 may utilize the logininformation to verify the identity of the user (or other authorizedsecondary user) and then access the associated user profile 306 on oneor both of the local electronic data storage 314 and the remoteelectronic data storage 318. If, as described above, the processor 312determines that the user profile 306 as stored on the remote electronicdata storage 318 is the most up-to-date user profile 306 available, theprocessor 312 may optionally download the user profile 306 to the localelectronic data storage 314, or may continue to access the user profile306 on the remote electronic data storage 318. Alternatively, if theprocessor 312 determines that the user profile 306 on the local datastorage 314 is the most up-to-date, the processor 312 may transmit theuser profile 306 to be stored on the remote electronic data storage 318.

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate how the app connects with the articles offootwear 302. Text 500 prompts the user to press one of the buttons 200on the left article of footwear 302 in FIG. 5A. Text 502 on FIG. 5Bconfirms that the left article of footwear 302 has been identified andprovides a soft button 504 to proceed to FIG. 5C and repeat the processfor the right article of footwear 302. The pressing of each button 200causes the processor circuit 204 to cause the coil 208 to transmit awireless signal that may be detected by the wireless transceiver 316,the output of which may be interpreted by the processor 312 as being thebutton press that was prompted. FIG. 5D displays a confirmation thatboth articles of footwear 302 have been identified, following which,FIG. 5E prompts the user to proceed to select and adjust configurationsfor the motorized lacing system 100.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a calibration process that may be implementedfor a given pair of footwear 302, in an example embodiment. Thecalibration process may be conducted if a record 400 for the articles offootwear 302 did not previously exist, e.g., if the user has notpreviously worn or manipulated the articles of footwear 302.Alternatively, the calibration process may be conducted based on aperiodic prompting to ensure that the pair of footwear 302 remainscalibrated, or based on a user selection via the user interface 310 torun the calibration process.

FIG. 6A illustrates a prompting screen, in which text 600 alerts theuser that the articles of footwear 302 are going to be calibrated andprovides a soft button 602 to begin the calibration. An orthotics softbutton 603 provides for the insertion of one or more orthotics into thearticles of footwear 302 before commencing the calibration. FIG. 6Bprovides a graphic illustration of the calibration process and theoutcome. In particular, the graphic illustration includes a verticalscale 604 that ranges from a loose setting 606 to a maximally tightsetting 608. The maximally tight setting corresponds to the maximumamount of tension that the motorized lacing system 100 can impart on thelace. As illustrate, one bar 610 on the scale 604 is larger than therest of the bars 612, signifying a current degree of tension on thelaces. The largest bar 610 may travel up the scale 604 until acalibration condition is met, whereupon the largest bar 610 may stop ata location corresponding to the calibrated maximum tension on the laces.

In an example, the motorized lacing system 100 determines the point ofmaximum tension on the lace by measuring a current induced through themotor 216. In particular, the harder the motor 216 operates to turn thespool 220, the greater the current the motor 216 draws from the battery206. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 9,365,387, “Motorized Tensioning SystemWith Sensors”, filed Aug. 30, 2013, and U.S. Application Publication No.2016/0345681, Automated Tensioning System for an Article of Footwear”,filed Dec. 1, 2015, both of which are incorporated by reference in theirentirety. In an example, the motorized lacing system 100 measures thecurrent that is being drawn by the motor 216. Upon reaching apredetermined maximum current, the state of the encoder 210 is noted. Inan example, the predetermined maximum current is four Amperes. The stateof the encoder 210 is then stored in the calibration field 408 andutilized by the app as the maximum point at which the encoder 210 may infuture turn to before the motor 216 is disabled.

The calibration process may further be based, at least in part, onexternal information regarding the properties of the foot or feet of theuser. For instance, the processor 312 may access, e.g., at the remoteelectronic data storage 318, information previously obtained about thefoot or feet of the user. For instance, if the user has previouslycreated a 3D scan of their foot (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.10,062,097, “Three-Dimensional Body Scanning and ApparelRecommendation”, filed May 31, 2017, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety), then the processor 314 may cross reference theinformation of the 3D scan against the associated footwear profile 322to anticipate where the maximum may be or change the maximum. Thus, forinstance, if the user has a relatively wide foot and the usual maximumtightness would be expected to be overly uncomfortable to the user, theprocessor 314 may change the maximum allowable tightness. Thus, forinstance, if a comparison between the 3D scan of the user's foot and thefootwear profile 322 indicates significant hotspots at a tightnesscorresponding to the usual four Amperes, the processor 314 may set themaximum at a motor current of three Amperes.

As will be illustrated herein, additional uses of the scale 604 toillustrate the tension on the lace and the general tightness of eacharticle of footwear 302 may be expanded so that the maximum is at thetop 608 of the scale 604 reflects the calibrated maximum. As such, auser would not be presented with the opportunity or option to increasethe tightness higher than the calibrated maximum. However, in variousexamples the user may be presented with the option to remove thecalibrated maximum.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate conducting the calibration process with theaddition of one or more orthotic inserts in the articles of footwear302, in an example embodiment. If the user pressed the orthotics softbutton 603 on the display in FIG. 6A, the app may proceed through thescreens of FIGS. 7A-7C before proceeding to conducting the calibrationillustrated in FIG. 6B.

In FIG. 7A the user is prompted to insert the orthotics into thearticles of footwear 302. In FIG. 7B, the motorized lacing system 100conducts a pre-calibration adjustment to determine an impact of theorthotics on various functions of the motorized lacing system 100. Forinstance, the foot presence sensor 202 may be recalibrated or otherwiseput into a different, preset state. Once the orthotics pre-calibrationis completed, the display in FIG. 7C is displayed and the app proceedsto conduct the full calibration.

FIGS. 8A-8E illustrate selecting and adjusting configurations for thearticles of footwear 302, in an example embodiment. The principlesdisclosed here are related to changing or setting in the first instancea particular configuration. However, it is to be recognized andunderstood that the manual manipulation of the tightness of the lacesmay be performed without respect to any particular configuration.

FIG. 8A is a user interface screen that allows a user to select one ofthree pre-set configuration soft buttons 800, 802, 804, eachcorresponding to a specific configuration. Each configurationcorresponds to one record 400, with the name of each configuration beingstored in a respective configuration label 402.

FIG. 8B is a user interface screen that is displayed upon the userselecting one of the configuration soft buttons 800, 802, 804, e.g., theGAME soft button 800. The user interface screen includes a left shoeicon 806, a right shoe icon 808, and a scale 810. In the illustratedexample, the left shoe icon 806 is enabled while the right shoe icon 808is disabled. The left shoe icon 806 may be slid up and down,corresponding to different locations on the scale 810. As the left shoeicon 806 is slid up and down, the motorized lacing system 100 increasesor decrease the tightness on the lace of the left article of footwear302 accordingly and proportionately. It is noted and emphasized that thescale 810 is the scale as calibrated, and that, in the exampleimplementation provided herein, the top 812 of the scale corresponds tothe tightness that is achievable at the maximum allowed motor current,e.g., four Amperes, and not the maximum tightness that the motorizedlacing system 100 could possibly achieve with no artificially-calibratedlimit. It is also noted that the scale 810 includes a larger dash 814corresponding to the actual level of tightness of the left shoe icon806. Upon setting the left shoe icon 806 to the desired tightness theuser may select the next soft button 816 to move to the next screen. Ifthe user wishes to return to an earlier screen, the user may select thereturn icon 818.

FIG. 8C is a user interface screen that is displayed upon the userselecting the NEXT soft button 816 in FIG. 8B. Now, the left shoe icon806 is disabled and the right shoe icon 808 is enabled to be slid up anddown to adjust the rightness of the right article of footwear 302accordingly and proportionately. It is noted that the scale 810 hasmoved to the right side of the screen, in contrast to the scale 810 onFIG. 8B. Upon moving the right shoe icon 808 to the desired level, theuser may select the next soft button 816. The user may select the returnicon 818 to return to an earlier screen.

FIG. 8D is a user interface screen that allows the user to review theirtension levels as illustrated by the left and right shoe icons 806, 808.In the illustrated example, both of the icons 806, 808 may be enabledfor changes. Alternatively, both of the icons 806, 808 may be disabled.In such an example, if the user wishes to make any changes the user mayselect the return icon 818 to return to an appropriate earlier screen.If the user is satisfied with the tension on each article of footwear302 the user may select the save soft button 820.

FIG. 8E is a user interface screen that allows the user to change thename of the configuration if desired. The user interface screenadditionally shows a numerical value of the percentage degree oftightness of each of the articles of footwear 302. If the user pressesthe cancel soft button 822 the settings are not saved to the appropriaterecord 400. If the user presses the save soft button 820 then thesetting for the left article of footwear 302 is saved to the leftsetting field 404 and the setting for the right article of footwear 302is saved to the right setting field 406. The settings saved in the leftand right setting fields 404, 406 may be translated as appropriate,e.g., to an encoder setting as described in detail above.

The user interface screen further includes a color icon 824 that allowsa background color of the app screen to be changed. In the illustratedexample, the color icon 824 allows the user to select a specific colorto associate with the configuration at issue. In such an example, thecolor may be saved in the record as being associated with theconfiguration, and any time the configuration is selected by the user onthe app the background color may change accordingly. It is to berecognized and understood that the record 400 may include a field tosave the assigned color accordingly. It is also to be recognized thatthe use of the color icon 824 may apply not just to a particularconfiguration but rather to a record 400 in general, e.g., eachindividual pair of footwear 302 has their own color, or each individualarticle of footwear 302 has its own color, e.g., when the user interfacescreen of FIG. 8B is displayed and the left article of footwear 302 isbeing adjusted the background color is red and when the user interfacescreen of FIG. 8C is being displayed and the right article of footwear302 is being adjusted the background color is blue, and so forth.

It is to be recognized and understood that the app as illustrated inFIGS. 8A-8E are not the only mechanism by which the motorized lacingsystem 100 may be manipulated. In particular, as has been noted herein,the buttons 200 may be pushed to selective increase and decrease thetension on the laces. When the buttons 200 are utilized, the position ofthe left and right shoe icons 806, 808 may be adjust on the app toreflect the actual tension on the laces. Further, alternative mechanismsfor adjust the tension on the laces may be implemented.

For instance, gestures may be utilized, as disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2016/0262485, “Motorized Shoe With GestureControl”, filed Mar. 15, 2016, which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. In such an example, gestures may be assigned, e.g., toindividual configurations, and the performance of the gesture may causethe motorized lacing system 100 to implement the predeterminedconfiguration. Thus, for instance, a player in a basketball game mayhave their articles of footwear 302 in the WARMUP configuration andthen, as the game is about to start, perform a “toe tap” gesture tocause their articles of footwear 302 to go into the GAME mode. The appmay additionally allow gestures to be customized according to userpreference. Gestures for various configurations may additionally beshared between and among user profiles 306, e.g., if one user would liketo make gestures they use available to a different user.

It is to be further recognized and understood that the user profile 306may incorporate capacity to store additional information related to theuser. Thus, for instance, in addition to personal information about theuser such as name and so forth, the user profile 306 may additionallystore sensor data obtained from the motorized lacing system 100. Thus,data from the foot presence sensor 202, magnetometer 222, environmentsensor 224, motion sensor 212, and so forth may be stored in the userprofile 306 and potentially used to identify performance characteristicsof the user.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 for calibrating articles of footwear 302 andsetting a predetermined configuration, in an example embodiment. Theflowchart 900 references the app illustrated in FIGS. 5-8 herein, butmay be utilized with respect to any suitable user interface.

At 902, the app prompts the user to commence the process and pair thearticles of footwear 302, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5E.

At 904, the app prompts the user whether or not the user if wearingorthotics, as illustrated in FIG. 6A. If the user is using orthotics,the flowchart 900 proceeds to 906. If the user is not using orthotics,the flowchart 900 proceeds to 910.

At 906, the user is prompted to insert the orthotics, as illustrated inFIG. 7A.

At 908, the user is prompted to wait while the motorized lacing systemare calibrated to the orthotics, as illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C.

At 910, the user is prompted to put the articles of footwear on, asillustrated in FIG. 6A.

At 912, the motorized lacing systems 100 sense the presence of the footusing the foot presence sensor 202 and operates the motor to fullyloosened. This process is not necessarily illustrated or otherwisepresented to the user on the app.

At 914, the articles of footwear 302 are calibrated to the user to findthe maximum tension, as illustrated in FIG. 6B. The result is saved inthe calibration field 410.

At 916, the user is prompted to select a preset, predeterminedconfiguration, as illustrated in FIG. 8A.

At 918, the user is optionally prompted for if the user would like tomanually adjust the tension on the laces.

At 920, if the user chooses to adjust the manually adjust the tension onthe laces, the user is prompted to do so, as illustrated in FIGS. 8B and8C.

At 922, the user is prompted to save the adjustments to theconfiguration by updating the left and right shoe fields 406, 408 in therecord 400, as illustrated in FIGS. 8D and 8E.

Examples

In Example 1, a system includes an article of footwear and a remotesystem. The article of footwear includes a wireless transceiver, aprocessor circuit operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, andan adaptive component, operatively coupled to the processor circuit,configured to be adjusted to one of a plurality of configurations basedon a command received from the processor circuit. The remote systemincludes an electronic data storage, configured to store a user profileincluding the plurality of configurations, a user interface, a wirelesstransceiver configured to communicatively couple to the wirelesstransceiver of the article of footwear, and a processor, operativelycoupled to the user interface and the wireless transceiver, theprocessor configured to prompt, on the user interface, the user to puton the article of footwear, receive, via the wireless transceiver, asignal from the article of footwear indicating that the article offootwear has been placed on the foot of a wearer, command, via thewireless transceiver, the adaptive component to perform a calibration toidentify a maximum property of the adaptive component, receive, via thewireless transceiver, a signal from the article of footwear indicatingwhat the maximum property is, recalibrating the plurality ofconfigurations to prevent any of the plurality of configurations fromexceeding the maximum property, and transmitting, via the wirelesstransceiver, one of the plurality of configurations as recalibrated,wherein, upon receiving the one of the plurality of configurations, theprocessor circuit causes the adaptive component to be configuredaccording to the one of the plurality of configurations.

In Example 2, the system of Example 1 optionally further includes thatthe adaptive component comprises a motor and wherein the calibrationincludes measuring a current through the motor.

In Example 3, the system of either one or more of Examples 1 and 2optionally further includes that the motor is operated until the currentthrough the motor meets a predetermined maximum current.

In Example 4, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-3optionally further includes that the adaptive component further includesan encoder, and wherein the processor circuit is configured to transmit,as the signal indicating the maximum property, a setting of the encoderthat corresponds to when the motor meets the predetermined maximumcurrent.

In Example 5, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-4optionally further includes that the plurality of configurations arepart of the user profile stored in the electronic data storage, whereinthe user profile further comprises a database to store multiple records,each record comprising one plurality of configurations associated with aparticular article of footwear.

In Example 6, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-5optionally further includes that the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.

In Example 7, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-6optionally further includes that the motorized lacing system comprises amotor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine a rotationalposition of the spool, and wherein the each of the plurality ofconfigurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to a desireddegree of tension on the lace.

In Example 8, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-7optionally further includes that the processor is further configured toprompt a user, via the user interface, to manually adjust the degree oftension on the lace based on a user input from the user and update theone of the plurality of configurations based on the degree of tension asmanually adjusted.

In Example 9, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-8optionally further includes that the remote system comprises a mobiledevice, and wherein the user interface, the wireless transceiver, theelectronic data storage, and the processor are components of the mobiledevice.

In Example 10, the system of either one or more of Examples 1-9optionally further includes that the remote system further comprises aremote electronic data storage accessible via a network connection bythe mobile device, wherein the remote electronic data storage isconfigured to store the user profile including the plurality ofconfigurations, and wherein the processor is further configured todownload the plurality of configurations from the remote electronic datastorage.

In Example 11, a system includes an article of footwear and a remotesystem. The article of footwear includes a wireless transceiver, aprocessor circuit operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, andan adaptive component, operatively coupled to the processor circuit,configured to be adjusted to one of a plurality of configurations basedon a command received from the processor circuit. The remote systemincludes an electronic data storage, configured to store a user profileincluding the plurality of configurations, a user interface, a wirelesstransceiver configured to communicatively couple to the wirelesstransceiver of the article of footwear, and a processor, operativelycoupled to the user interface and the wireless transceiver, theprocessor configured to prompt, on the user interface, the user to puton the article of footwear, receive, via the wireless transceiver, asignal from the article of footwear indicating that the article offootwear has been placed on the foot of a wearer, access, in theelectronic data storage, one of the plurality of configurations based ona user selection received via the user interface, and transmit, via thewireless transceiver, the one of the plurality of configurations asselected, wherein, upon receiving the one of the plurality ofconfigurations, the processor circuit causes the adaptive component tobe configured according to the one of the plurality of configurations.

In Example 12, the system of Example 11 optionally further includes thatthe plurality of configurations are part of the user profile stored inthe electronic data storage, wherein the user profile further comprisesa database to store multiple records, each record comprising oneplurality of configurations associated with a particular article offootwear.

In Example 13, the system of any one or more of Examples 11 and 12optionally further includes that the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.

In Example 14, the system of any one or more of Examples 11-13optionally further includes that the motorized lacing system comprises amotor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine a rotationalposition of the spool, and wherein the each of the plurality ofconfigurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to a desireddegree of tension on the lace.

In Example 15, the system of any one or more of Examples 11-14optionally further includes that the processor is further configured toprompt a user, via the user interface, to manually adjust the degree oftension on the lace based on a user input from the user and update theone of the plurality of configurations based on the degree of tension asmanually adjusted.

In Example 16, a computer readable medium includes instructions which,when implemented by a processor, cause the processor to performoperations comprising prompt, on a user interface of a remote system, auser to put on an article of footwear, the article of footwearcomprising a wireless transceiver, a processor circuit operativelycoupled to the wireless transceiver, and an adaptive component,operatively coupled to the processor circuit, configured to be adjustedto one of a plurality of configurations based on a command received fromthe processor circuit, receive, via a wireless transmitter of the remotesystem, a signal from the article of footwear indicating that thearticle of footwear has been placed on the foot of a wearer, command,via the wireless transceiver, the adaptive component to perform acalibration to identify a maximum property of the adaptive component,receive, via the wireless transceiver, a signal from the article offootwear indicating what the maximum property is, recalibrate theplurality of configurations to prevent any of the plurality ofconfigurations from exceeding the maximum property, and transmitting,via the wireless transceiver, one of the plurality of configurations asrecalibrated, wherein, upon receiving the one of the plurality ofconfigurations, the processor circuit causes the adaptive component tobe configured according to the one of the plurality of configurations.

In Example 17, the system of Example 16 optionally further includes thatthe adaptive component comprises a motor and wherein the calibrationincludes measuring a current through the motor.

In Example 18, the system of either one or more of Examples 16 and 17optionally further includes that the motor is operated until the currentthrough the motor meets a predetermined maximum current.

In Example 19, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-18optionally further includes that the adaptive component further includesan encoder, and wherein the processor circuit is configured to transmit,as the signal indicating the maximum property, a setting of the encoderthat corresponds to when the motor meets the predetermined maximumcurrent.

In Example 20, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-19optionally further includes that the plurality of configurations arepart of the user profile stored in the electronic data storage, whereinthe user profile further comprises a database to store multiple records,each record comprising one plurality of configurations associated with aparticular article of footwear.

In Example 21, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-20optionally further includes that the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.

In Example 22, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-21optionally further includes that the motorized lacing system comprises amotor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine a rotationalposition of the spool, and wherein the each of the plurality ofconfigurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to a desireddegree of tension on the lace.

In Example 23, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-22optionally further includes that the processor is further configured toprompt a user, via the user interface, to manually adjust the degree oftension on the lace based on a user input from the user and update theone of the plurality of configurations based on the degree of tension asmanually adjusted.

In Example 24, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-23optionally further includes that the remote system comprises a mobiledevice, and wherein the user interface, the wireless transceiver, theelectronic data storage, and the processor are components of the mobiledevice.

In Example 25, the system of either one or more of Examples 16-24optionally further includes that the remote system further comprises aremote electronic data storage accessible via a network connection bythe mobile device, wherein the remote electronic data storage isconfigured to store the user profile including the plurality ofconfigurations, and wherein the processor is further configured todownload the plurality of configurations from the remote electronic datastorage.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A “hardware module” is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various exampleembodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computersystem, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one ormore hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a groupof processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware module that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

In some embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware module may alsoinclude programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configuredby software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardwaremodule may include software encompassed within a general-purposeprocessor or other programmable processor. It will be appreciated thatthe decision to implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicatedand permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configuredcircuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and timeconsiderations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringembodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardwaremodule comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software tobecome a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware modules) at different times. Software mayaccordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute adifferent hardware module at a different instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplehardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achievedthrough signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses)between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments inwhich multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware modules may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access.For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to ahardware module implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, a processor being an example of hardware. Forexample, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed byone or more processors or processor-implemented modules. Moreover, theone or more processors may also operate to support performance of therelevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “softwareas a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations maybe performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines includingprocessors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g.,the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., anapplication program interface (API)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Some portions of this specification are presented in terms of algorithmsor symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits orbinary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g., a computermemory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples oftechniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing artsto convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Asused herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequence of operationsor similar processing leading to a desired result. In this context,algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation of physicalquantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities may take theform of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of beingstored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwisemanipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally forreasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as“data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,”“characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words,however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated withappropriate physical quantities.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), registers, orother machine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, theterms “a” or “an” are herein used, as is common in patent documents, toinclude one or more than one instance. Finally, as used herein, theconjunction “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or,” unless specificallystated otherwise.

1. (canceled)
 2. A system, comprising: an article of footwear,comprising: a wireless transceiver; a processor circuit operativelycoupled to the wireless transceiver; and an adaptive component,operatively coupled to the processor circuit, configured to be adjustedto one of a plurality of configurations based on a command received fromthe processor circuit; a remote system, comprising: an electronic datastorage, configured to store a user profile including the plurality ofconfigurations; a user interface; a wireless transceiver configured tocommunicatively couple to the wireless transceiver of the article offootwear; and a processor, operatively coupled to the user interface andthe wireless transmitter, the processor configured to: prompt, on theuser interface, the user to put on the article of footwear; receive, viathe wireless transceiver, a signal from the article of footwearindicating that the article of footwear has been placed on the foot of awearer; access, in the electronic data storage, one of the plurality ofconfigurations based on a user selection received via the userinterface; and transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the one of theplurality of configurations as selected; wherein, upon receiving the oneof the plurality of configurations, the processor circuit causes theadaptive component to be configured according to the one of theplurality of configurations.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theplurality of configurations are part of the user profile stored in theelectronic data storage, wherein the user profile further comprises adatabase to store multiple records, each record comprising one pluralityof configurations associated with a particular article of footwear. 4.The system of claim 3, wherein the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the motorized lacing systemcomprises a motor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine arotational position of the spool, and wherein the each of the pluralityof configurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to adesired degree of tension on the lace.
 6. The system of claim 4, whereinthe processor is further configured to: prompt a user, via the userinterface, to manually adjust the degree of tension on the lace based ona user input from the user; and update the one of the plurality ofconfigurations based on the degree of tension as manually adjusted.
 7. Aprocessor-implemented method, comprising: prompting, on a userinterface, a user to put on an article of footwear, the article offootwear including a wireless transceiver and an adaptive componentconfigured to be adjusted to one of a plurality of configurations basedon a command received from a processor; reciting a signal from thearticle of footwear indicating that the article of footwear has beenplaced on the foot of a wearer; accessing, in an electronic datastorage, one of a plurality of configurations of a user profile based ona user selection received via the user interface; and transmitting tothe wireless transceiver of the article of footwear the one of theplurality of configurations as selected; wherein, upon receiving the oneof the plurality of configurations, the processor circuit causes theadaptive component to be configured according to the one of theplurality of configurations.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theplurality of configurations are part of the user profile stored in theelectronic data storage, wherein the user profile further comprises adatabase to store multiple records, each record comprising one pluralityof configurations associated with a particular article of footwear. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the motorized lacing systemcomprises a motor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine arotational position of the spool, and wherein the each of the pluralityof configurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to adesired degree of tension on the lace.
 11. The method of claim 9,further comprising: prompting a user, via the user interface, tomanually adjust the degree of tension on the lace based on a user inputfrom the user; and updating the one of the plurality of configurationsbased on the degree of tension as manually adjusted.
 12. Aprocessor-implemented method, comprising: prompting, on a userinterface, a user to put on an article of footwear, the article offootwear including a wireless transceiver and an adaptive componentconfigured to be adjusted to one of a plurality of configurations basedon a command received from a processor; reciting a signal from thearticle of footwear indicating that the article of footwear has beenplaced on the foot of a wearer; accessing, in an electronic datastorage, one of a plurality of configurations of a user profile based ona user selection received via the user interface; and transmitting tothe wireless transceiver of the article of footwear the one of theplurality of configurations as selected; wherein, upon receiving the oneof the plurality of configurations, the processor circuit causes theadaptive component to be configured according to the one of theplurality of configurations.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theplurality of configurations are part of the user profile stored in theelectronic data storage, wherein the user profile further comprises adatabase to store multiple records, each record comprising one pluralityof configurations associated with a particular article of footwear. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the adaptive component is a motorizedlacing system, and wherein each of the plurality of configurationsdescribes a degree of tension on a lace induced by the motorized lacingsystem.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the motorized lacing systemcomprises a motor, a spool, and an encoder configured to determine arotational position of the spool, and wherein the each of the pluralityof configurations describes an encoder setting corresponding to adesired degree of tension on the lace.
 16. The method of claim 14,further comprising: prompting a user, via the user interface, tomanually adjust the degree of tension on the lace based on a user inputfrom the user; and updating the one of the plurality of configurationsbased on the degree of tension as manually adjusted.